The Baha’i faith and the issue of “marrying with near relatives/incest marriage”

Marriage is a fundamental basis on which divine creation is based, and is a general rule that runs throughout universal existence. By following the rules of sexual morality, human beings have sought to limit the scope of marriage and prohibit incestuous marriage. Prohibition of this issue has been seen even among the most primitive human beings, but this does not mean that it has always been the main rule among all the human beings. Incestuous marriage is specifically forbidden among the Abrahamic religions, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. The Holy Qur’an, in detail, defines close families and expresses the scope of sanctity of marriage. Baha’ism claims to be a divine Faith. It claims that incestuous marriage is forbidden in Baha’is, as in divine religions such as Islam, Christianity, and Judaism; and that Baha’ism like Muslims, and to the same extent as Islam, forbids incestuous marriage. The purpose of this article is to examine this claim and its degree of conformity with the teachings of the Abrahamic religions. Also the statements of the Baha’i Leaders, the messages received from the House of Justice, and some of the claims of Baha’i writers in this regard have been analyzed and scrutinized.